


a sprig of rosemary by any other name

by painting



Series: c cameron miller [3]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-25
Updated: 2017-11-25
Packaged: 2019-02-06 18:29:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12823506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/painting/pseuds/painting
Summary: Sybil's family loved to take in stragglers, which she said was what Cameron qualified as after he decided to skip visiting his parents for Christmas that year. The label felt stiff and new on his metaphorical identity sash, already crowded to the edges with descriptors likeaccidental trigonometry expertandsecret four-time Twitter celebrityandaccelerated readerandKim Kardashian liker.None of those things were particularly important to him. Cameron didn't think about his identity very much, but it still felt odd to have something new to attach to it that he earned based on a decision that, frankly, felt kind of arbitrary.





	a sprig of rosemary by any other name

Sybil's family loved to take in stragglers, which she said was what Cameron qualified as after he decided to skip visiting his parents for Christmas that year. The label felt stiff and new on his metaphorical identity sash, already crowded to the edges with descriptors like _accidental trigonometry expert_ and _secret four-time Twitter celebrity_ and _accelerated reader_ and _Kim Kardashian liker_.

None of those things were particularly important to him. Cameron didn't think about his identity very much, but it still felt odd to have something new to attach to it that he earned based on a decision that, frankly, felt kind of arbitrary.

"Obviously you're coming with me to my sister's place," Sybil informed him when she got the news. "It's, like, a few hours from here, and we do both Christmas Eve _and_ Christmas Day, so all your bases will be covered. I'm texting her about you right now."

"You already text her about me," Cameron said. "Like, all the time. Way more than what's normal."

"Yeah, _but_ this time I've actually got some exciting news. Not that you're not always exciting."

"I'm really not."

"Okay, whatever." Sybil grinned at her phone and then set it down face-up on Cameron's kitchen table. "Not arguing about that right now. This is going to be so good! Robinson and Elle are coming too."

"Elle as in Ellen or Elle as in Penelope Prysinski?" Cameron asked. He already knew Robbie.

"Ellen," Sybil said.

All Cameron knew about Ellen was that she owned the tallest zip-up boots Cameron had ever seen in his life, and she loved to wear them under a long skirt so that nobody knew about it but her. She'd told him one night over candlelight when she was drunk on schnapps and Cameron wasn't.

"Cool, I like Ellen."

"Yeah, she's really fun," Sybil agreed. "Her family gets together a few days late for Christmas so I invited her to ours since she won't have anything to do that day. She _miiiight_ bring her boyfriend Navid, but he and Robinson dated for, like, three weeks when they were in _high school_ , so she wanted me to check with Robinson to make sure it wouldn't be awkward. Navid is fine with it."

"Navid and Robbie went to the same high school?" Cameron asked.

"God, you're the _only_ one who calls him Robbie. Literally no one else has ever called him Robbie."

"He loves that I call him Robbie."

"I think he actually does," Sybil said, like she was somehow surprised about it. "You're probably the only one who can."

"He went to high school with Navid?"

"Okay, ignore what I just said about your special nickname connection with Robinson."

Cameron crossed his legs. "One step ahead of you. So?"

"They're both from the same place, yeah," Sybil clarified. "From what I understand, it was a coincidence that they both ended up coming to the same university. I don't think they were super close…"

"They were three-week boyfriends," Cameron said. "I dunno. Three weeks can be life altering."

"I don't think it was, in their case."

"So Navid will probably come after all, then," Cameron said. He didn't know a single thing about Navid, aside from very minimal details about his dating history that he'd learned just seconds ago.

"I bet you're right." The water in Cameron's tiny, shitty electric kettle started to boil, and Sybil stood up to turn it off. The kitchen was so small that she barely had to take two steps to reach it and nearly bumped into his toaster on her way up. "Are your parents bummed that you're not going back this year?"

"I don't know," Cameron answered as Sybil poured the hot water into his cup. He'd forgotten to put anything in it first. "Sorry, could you grab me a—"

Sybil knew before he finished. "Green or black?" she asked, reaching into one of his cabinets.

"Green. Thank you." Cameron took the satchel of tea from Sybil, then dropped it into the mug and watched it float as steam curled around his chin. "I don't know," he repeated, "I'm an only child and so is my dad, and my mom's completely out of contact with her own family, so it was always just us on Christmas."

"God, that sounds lonely," Sybil said. She poured herself a cup of tea and then returned the kettle to its resting place before sitting back down.

"Yeah… It's sort of bleak," Cameron agreed. "I'd feel worse about not going if we ever did anything special, but the older I get, the less it feels like a holiday instead of just another day of winter break, only all the stores are closed and everyone else is busy."

"Jeez. Yikes."

Cameron backpedaled. "Oh my god. No, I mean, no, I… My parents are great, it's just… I don't…"

"Nah, I get it," Sybil said. "Oh my god, Cameron, it's fine! Is that what you told them, though? About why you aren't coming back?"

"No!" He would never. "I did the right thing and I lied to them."

"Sometimes you gotta." Sybil kicked him very gently.

"Exactly." Cameron kicked back. "I just said that I was working a lot and it wouldn't be worth the price of the flight to show up for just a few days."

"Were they cool?"

"Yeah."

" _Are_ you working a lot?"

"Yeah."

"When?"

Cameron brought his face close to the edge of his mug, but it still seemed too hot to drink. He bobbed the teabag up and down and watched more color cloud the water. "I work the twenty-third, but just until the afternoon. Then nothing until the twenty-seventh."

"Perfect. We should head down to my sister's after you get out," Sybil decided. "God, I still have to buy gifts. Will you come with me to the plaza tomorrow?"

Cameron nodded. He took a sip after all and nearly burned his tongue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whos ready for a christmas road trip

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote out a whole long thing for this including the road trip and beyond so everybody better watch out (pretend i said that in the tune of that xmas song that goes "you better watch out etc")


End file.
